The Minnesota Renaissance Festival - Eloise's Tips & Tricks for the Fair
Hear ye, hear ye! If you’ve never been to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, you’re in for a treat! More than just a day at the fair—it’s a chance to step back in time to a world filled with knights, jesters, jousting, giant turkey legs, quirky entertainment, handmade treasures, and some of the best people-watching in Minnesota! My family and I have gone for many years, and we love it!
Whether you’re visiting for the first time or returning for another season of turkey legs and jousting tournaments, a little planning can make your day much more enjoyable. Here are some of our favorite tips and tricks for making the most of your day in the kingdom.
🏰 Tip #1: Win the Parking Battle Before the Jousting Begins
If there’s one thing that can put a dent in your medieval merriment, it’s sitting in traffic before you even see your first knight.
⏰ Arrive Before the Kingdom Gets Crowded
Try to arrive around 8:15–8:45 a.m. The gates open at 9:00 a.m., but traffic can build quickly. Getting there early also gives you time to enjoy the entertainers and hecklers outside the gates — and trust me, they can be half the fun!
🚗 Want to Park On-Site? Buy your parking pass ahead of time.
Same-day parking may cost more, and spaces can disappear faster than gold coins at the artisan marketplace.
📸 The Most Important Photo You’ll Take All Day
Once you park, take a picture of your parking location. After eight hours of jousting, shopping, eating, and wandering through the village, every dirt parking lot starts looking suspiciously alike. Your tired feet will thank you later.
Another great option is the Festival’s Park & Ride service:
🅿️ Parking at the Park & Ride lot is FREE
🚌 Get a direct, non-stop ride to the Festival
💰 Round-trip bus fare is reasonably priced
👧 Children 5 and under ride free
You can find current parking information under Visit the Village at renaissancefest.com.
👢Tip #2: Dress for the Kingdom.....but Save Your Feet
You’ll do a LOT of walking. It’s very easy to cover four to eight miles during a full day at the festival, so comfortable shoes are a must.
The grounds are mostly dirt, grass and gravel, which means:
🌧️ Wet weather = mud
☀️ Dry weather = dust
👟 Cute new white shoes = probably a bad idea
You absolutely do not have to dress in costume, but it can be a lot of fun. Over the years we’ve seen everything from simple flower crowns and fairy wings to wizards, knights, and people dressed head-to-toe in medieval armor.
Minnesota weather likes to keep us guessing. Later festival weekends can be cooler, but September can still deliver some surprisingly hot days. If you’re wearing a costume, make sure it’s something you can comfortably wear for several hours.
🍗 Tip #3: Eat Like Royalty — But Have a Strategy
Food is a BIG part of the Renaissance Festival experience, but you don’t have to sit down for three enormous meals to enjoy it.
Beat the Lunch Rush - The biggest lunch crowds tend to hit around noon, so consider eating a little earlier or later.
Snack Your Way Through the Kingdom - One of our favorite strategies is to split things and snack our way through the Festival. That way, everyone gets to try more foods without getting completely stuffed — or spending a small king’s ransom before lunchtime. And yes… the turkey legs are iconic. Little Eloise used to eat an entire turkey leg by herself whenever we went to the Festival. Pretty impressive for a little kid.
But don’t stop at the turkey legs. There are tons of other fun foods, sweets, snacks, and treats throughout the grounds, including options for different dietary needs. You can browse the current food choices and locations before you go at: renaissancefest.com/fest-food
Don’t Forget the Water - You can bring one unopened bottle of water per person, then refill it throughout the day. Especially on warmer weekends, you’ll be glad you have it.
⚔️ A Few More Tricks
Bring both cash and a card. Many vendors accept cards, but cash is still useful for food, smaller purchases, tips, and those unexpected treasures you suddenly decide you absolutely cannot live without.
Bring extra money for performers. There are incredibly talented entertainers throughout the festival. If someone makes you laugh, amazes you or keeps your family entertained, toss something in the tip basket.
Check the entertainment schedule before you go. Make note of any jousts, contests, shows or performances you really want to see. You can find the daily schedule at renaissancefest.com/daily-events.
But don’t schedule every minute.
Leave time to wander. Some of our favorite festival memories have come from stumbling across a musician, comedian, parade or completely ridiculous performance we never planned to see.
Don’t automatically cancel because of rain. The festival goes on rain or shine, and rainy days can actually be great. You may find smaller crowds, shorter food lines, and better seats at performances. Just wear shoes you don’t mind getting muddy.
Give yourself plenty of time. This really isn’t a quick two-hour stop. Plan for several hours or, even better, make a full day of it.
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival is one of those places where you can watch a joust, eat a turkey leg, browse handmade artwork, talk to a wizard and somehow consider all of that completely normal. That’s the magic of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival.
Huzzah—and enjoy your day in the kingdom! 👑⚔️
